Star-studded: 38 restaurants in MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017

Published on 02 Jul 2017.

When the first edition of the MICHELIN Guide Singapore was released last year, our dining scene celebrated as one—hawkers rubbed shoulders with celebrity chefs, while fine dining institutions rallied with humble kopitiams (local coffeeshops). People queued for hours for a taste of the cheapest Michelin-starred meal in the world at Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, even if it meant eating off Styrofoam plates. In Singapore, good food doesn’t need to be found atop starched white tablecloths.

This year, 11 new restaurants have joined the constellation. The anonymous Michelin inspectors have made their rounds once again and rated eateries based on five criteria: quality of ingredients, mastery of cooking techniques, the projection of the chef’s personality in his or her cuisine, value for money, and consistency.

The new entries include Labyrinth, a modern Singaporean restaurant that serves art on a plate, and Chef Kang’s, a humble Cantonese joint tucked away in a shophouse. They’re among the 38 eateries that have been honoured with Michelin stars, up from 29 in 2016. Here’s the full list.

NEW

TWO STARS

Waku Ghin

Within this dimly lit 25-seater establishment in the glitzy Marina Bay Sands®, internationally renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda serves contemporary Japanese cuisine with a European twist. Waku Ghin—which aptly means “arise” and “silver”, respectively, in Japanese—has climbed the ranks to bag two Michelin stars, up from its one-star debut last year. It serves a ten-course degustation menu that highlights the best produce of the season, featuring its star dish: marinated Botan shrimp crowned with lobes of sea urchin and pearls of caviar.

ONE STAR

Braci

Drink in the hustle and bustle of Boat Quay from the rooftop of a heritage shophouse, where this two-storey modern Italian restaurant and bar perches. And that isn’t even the best view at Braci. If you’ve ever wanted to catch a glimpse of the magic that goes into your food, you can slide up as near as possible to the open kitchen, where a team assembles rustic Italian dishes that have been kissed by the fire of a grill.

“Wood” is the main theme of Braci: restaurateur-chef Beppe De Vito employs a Josper oven and a shichirin (small charcoal grill) to impart smokiness to the fresh seasonal produce used. Its signatures include a foie gras semifreddo (S$28) with kumquats and fig vincotte, as well as roasted pigeon with Japanese pear, pistachios and aged Marsala jus (S$58). Can’t make up your mind? Go for a surprise four- or five-course degustation menu (S$100-S$200) for the whole table.

The brightly lit theatre kitchen at the back of the restaurant takes centre-stage as chef Rishi Naleendra and his team bask in the spotlight, whipping up unpretentious modern Australian cuisine. Yes, that means kangaroo loin (S$42) and the like are available à la carte, but opt for the tasting menu (S$88) to be acquainted with what Cheek by Jowl is all about.

You’ll be plied with a series of snacks such as oyster topped with smoked tomato granita before more substantial mains like grilled barramundi hit the table. Need help with wine? Naleendra’s affable restaurant manager and wife, Manuela Toniolo, will be happy to assist with a selection of organic and biodynamic vino from around the world.

A master of the wok, chef Ang Song Kang tosses comforting Cantonese food licked by flames and draped in thick umami-rich sauces. While the zichar (home-style Chinese dishes) restaurant is renowned for its à la carte dishes like patin fish with deep fried pork lard, opt for the omakase (chef-chosen) dinners (S$80) to experience chef Kang truly in his element. He sources fresh ingredients from local markets to cook up seasonal dishes such as claypot kailan (Chinese kale) and marbled goby fish soup.

The clinking of wine glasses and peals of laughter echo through the dining room of this Italian restaurant—it may be a fine dining spot, but the gregarious ambiance and unpretentious décor leave plenty of room to loosen up. A separate, stylish bar that opens until late means whiling away a few hours at Garibaldi is easy, even with the kids in tow.

Concocted by executive chef Roberto Galetti from Brescia, Italy, the dishes predominantly feature ingredients flown in from his homeland. The chef’s specialities from the à la carte menu include milk-fed veal ravioli (S$36) with porcini mushrooms and cream sauce, and Kurobuta pork scaloppine (thin, boneless cut of meat, S$48) in Marsala wine sauce, while lunch and dinner set menus start from S$88 and S$138, respectively.

Push open the easily overlooked black door in Hilton Singapore, walk down a picture-lined corridor, and you’ll reach the handsome dining room of Iggy’s. The European-leaning fine dining restaurant is named after its founder and sommelier, Ignatius Chan, so you can expect wines to play as big a role in your dining experience as the food prepared by chef Aitor Jeronimo Orive.

The dinner degustation menu (S$175-S$235) begins with a flurry of seasonal snacks including a locally inspired roti john (omelette sandwich) filled with chicken liver mousse. And not to be missed is the chef’s signature bomba rice cooked in a rich seafood stock and finished with slivers of cold Carabinero carpaccio.

Be introduced to the world of refined Teochew cuisine, which has its origins in the Chaoshan region of China, at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine. Even if it’s your first time savouring a spoonful of steamed pomfret (from S$10/100g), its flavours will charm you with an alluring sense of comfort and familiarity, like chicken soup on a rainy day.

Those with more adventurous palates should order the combination platter. It includes sliced braised duck meat, duck tongue, cuttlefish and beef tripe marinated Teochew-style (S$34-S$68). The restaurant also has six impressive private dining rooms, each well-appointed to provide a luxurious dining experience for your guests.

Get lost in in a maze of complex flavours at Labyrinth. The modern Singaporean restaurant will amaze with dishes like Hokkaido scallop bak chor mee (minced meat noodles) and smoked bone marrow beef rendang (braised meat cooked in coconut milk and spices), challenging your perception on what Singaporean food should be. Its banker-turned-chef, Han Li Guang, is self-taught, completing stagiaires at restaurants around the world before applying those refined techniques to local cuisine. The restaurant serves tasting menus only, priced from S$48 for lunch and S$78 for dinner.

It’s apt that Meta finds itself in Bukit Pasoh, a district lined with heritage shophouses that now lodge buzzy eateries and bars. The restaurant, which opened in 2015, is famed for its elegant fusion of old and new: Traditional French dishes are imbued with bold Korean and Japanese flavours, resulting in innovative plates that twist and toy with your palate.

Head chef Sun Kim, a protégé of celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda, is the maestro of the kitchen here. And it is his South Korean upbringing combined with classical culinary training that account for Meta’s East-meets-West degustation menus (S$48-S$255). On them, you’ll spot octopus with XO sauce, Iberico pork chop with kailan (Chinese kale) and kimchi (fermented cabbage), and beetroot with tobiko (flying fish roe) and burrata (fresh Italian cheese).

Located in an intimate space next to the shimmering vistas of Marina Bay, Saint Pierre takes dining with a view to a whole new level. As one of the pioneers of the local fine dining scene, chef Emmanuel Stroobant opened Saint Pierre in 2000, and has kept in lockstep with our changing palates over the years.

The latest iteration of the restaurant is its best yet, serving seasonal menus (from S$148) of French dishes with a hint of Asian flavours. These include avocado and quinoa spiked with fiery Szechuan oil, and hay-smoked hamachi (yellowtail) with ponzu (citrus sauce), Perilla leaf and leek.

Like any true-blue Chinese restaurant, Summer Palace runs like a well-oiled machine: Service is swift, and the bilingual waitresses tend to rattle off to one another in Cantonese. The dishes whipped up by executive chef Liu Ching Hai are just as authentic. The lauded wok-fried jasmine rice (S$72) with lobster, scallops and XO sauce is perfumed by wok hei (breath of the wok), while an extensive selection of dim sum (bite-sized portions of food served in steamer baskets or small plates) makes for delicious snacking. For a more robust meal, go for the chef’s lunch or dinner tasting menus at S$48 and $78, respectively.

Whitegrass, having opened in 2016, is a fairly new addition to our dining scene. Yet, it has already amassed a following hungry for its fine dining take on contemporary Australian cuisine—this newly awarded Michelin star is just one of the chic restaurant’s many accolades.

The restaurant’s pride and joy is chef-owner Sam Aisbett’s devotion to fresh produce that he sources from all four corners of the globe. Yellowtail from Japan, winter truffle from his native Australia, chocolate from Peru, and even XO sauce, star on the degustation menus (S$48–S$255) here. The dishes, as you would expect, follow suit. They represent a melting pot of cultures, where buah keluak (black nut indigenous to Southeast Asia) purée dresses Australian Black Angus beef, and saffron broth perfumes poached Fremantle octopus.

EXISTING

THREE STARS

Joël Robuchon Restaurant

The opulent French haute cuisine restaurant clings on to its three stars and its reputation as one of the island’s foremost culinary institutions. Executive chef Michael Michaelidis serves up magic on a plate, transforming simple ingredients into refined gourmet masterpieces like his vibrant beetroot and apple tartare.

TWO STARS

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Hear the crackling of the grill and watch your dishes get prepared right before your eyes as you’re swept into L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon’s culinary action—only a bar separates the kitchen from the dining room. Try its 11-course tapas-style menu (S$318), which comes with grilled Maine lobster on vegetable couscous, and steamed brill and stuffed zucchini flower.

Headed by executive chef Sebastien Lepinoy, this local fine dining institution serves classic French food that also pays homage to Asian flavours. If you’re there for dinner, go for the six-course menu (S$185), where langoustines and roasted duck with spring turnips feature.

Art is all around at the National Gallery Singapore—it’s even served on the plates at Odette. Named after chef-owner Julien Royer’s grandmother, this 40-seater establishment serves excellent modern French cuisine, which has bowled diners over even before it earned its two Michelin stars in 2016.

Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang is a thinking man’s chef. In his eponymous restaurant, Chiang fleshes out what he calls “Octaphilosophy”: His stunningly modern dishes are themed after “salt”, “texture”, “memory”, “pure”, “terroir”, “South”, “artisan” and “unique”. The menu changes according to the seasons, but you will always find Memory 1997, a warm foie gras jelly with black truffle coulis, on it.

Helmed by chef Chen Kentaro, Shisen Hanten presents a Japanese take on Szechuan cuisine. Order its popular mapo doufu (spicy tofu in meat sauce, S$24) that follows an original family recipe—unlike other versions you have tried, this one is served on a bed of Hokkaido rice.

In a whisper-quiet open kitchen, chef Kenji Yamanaka and his small team of cooks labour over intricate dishes that marry French techniques with premium Japanese ingredients. Only degustation menus are available here—but go for those that feature Ozaki wagyu. The beef is hand-picked by Yamanaka for its delicateness that doesn’t compromise on umami, making it a perfect accompaniment to his classic French-inspired sauces.

Set in a colonial bungalow from the 1910s, Corner House is a lab where home-grown chef Jason Tan experiments with herbs and plants to deliver what he calls “Gastro-Botanica” cuisine. Tuck into the five-course Botanica menu (S$178), which presents plates such as seasonal tomatoes and pasta with white asparagus. Pair the greens with a bottle from an extensive wine list—there are over 600 labels to choose from.

Portraits of Hollywood A-listers hang on the walls of this plush celebrity chef restaurant, so you’ll be dining in esteemed company. But don’t forget: you are here because of the steak. Grilled over hard wood and charcoal, each premium cut of beef (S$75-S$280) is worth waxing lyrical over, with a garnet centre and a perfectly charred crust.

Located in the heart of Singapore’s main shopping district, Crystal Jade Golden Palace offers contemporary Cantonese and Teochew cuisines. Go all-out with the set menus (from S$48), or pick at à la carte dishes such as dim sum (bite-sized portions of food served in steamer baskets or small plates), Teochew-style chilled crab, and the restaurant’s signature roasted suckling pig.

You’ll be dining against a breathtaking view of the city skyline in this intimate 40-seater restaurant. Chef Kirk Westaway takes inspiration from his hometown in Devon, England, and every dish focuses on letting the fresh seasonal produce shine. A pared-down four-course lunch menu starts from S$88 while the dinner menus start from S$238, but if you have a special treat planned, opt for the extravagant five-course dinner (S$398), where each dish is paired with a different flute of Krug Champagne.

Its Singapore offshoot can now be added to Lei Garden’s stable of outlets that have consistently won Michelin stars. Popular across Hong Kong, Macau and China, this restaurant chain serves up traditional Cantonese fare such as double-boiled soups and roast meats.

Share a hearty meal of surf and turf with friends and family at Osia, a modern Australian restaurant that’s big on communal dining. Australian chef Scott Webster and chef de cuisine Douglas Tay’s menu of sharing plates highlights fresh Australian produce by combining Asian flavours with Western grilling techniques.

This casual Chinese eatery traces its roots to Putian, a coastal suburb in Fujian, China. First opened at Kitchener Road in 2000 serving Heng Hwa cuisine, Putien has expanded to ten outlets in Singapore, with more branches in Malaysia, Indonesia and China. The food here aims for a hearty, homely feel, with dishes such as the “100-second” stewed yellow croaker (S$13.80) that’s cooked in ginger for—yep—100 seconds.

This cosy French fine dining restaurant, helmed by British chef Paul Longworth, has a tightly curated menu to match its quaint shophouse décor. Opt for either a three-course lunch (S$48) or a six-course dinner menu (S$148), the latter of which features Japanese scallops, Canadian tenderloin and crackling, and, of course, rhubarb.

Only omakase (chef-chosen) menus are available at this temple of Edomae-style sushi, and that’s for the better. Master chef Koichiro Oshino has been slicing seafood and shaping rice for decades, and it shows in his immaculately prepared nigiri (raw or cooked seafood on rice).

The second local outlet of Shinji by Kanesaka takes after the first: The décor is understated yet dignified, with many materials imported from the Land of the Rising Sun. And the sushi here, moulded by head chef Shunsuke Kikuchi, is just as well crafted, brimming with subtle flavours of the sea.

This import from Ginza, Tokyo focuses on wild tuna and sea urchin—sushi chef Yukji Yabe brings in seafood straight from the famed Tsukiji Market four times a week. Sushi Ichi exclusively serves kaiseki (traditional Japanese multi-course meal) menus, which range from S$70 to S$240 for lunch and S$220 to S$390 for dinner.

Even with a new chef in Luke Armstrong, this contemporary French restaurant hasn’t shied away from the philosophy that earned it a Michelin nod in 2016. Seasonal ingredients like white asparagus and white beetroot still star on the degustation menus here, and each ingredient is given only a subtle push towards flavour with precise cooking and nuanced sauces.

Go on a gastronomic journey through India without having to leave the Lion City with The Song of India’s eight set menus (S$49-S$149), which cater to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. The Jugal Bandi menu (S$159) features spring chicken morsels with stir-fried asparagus and edamame (young soyabean), served with a side of naan (North Indian flatbread) fresh from the tandoor.